


Top of the Rocket

by 5suisei



Category: Pokemon GO
Genre: Bottom Arlo, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, M/M, Manipulation, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, bisexual reader, male reader - Freeform, top reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:47:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23818690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5suisei/pseuds/5suisei
Summary: You look down to see the newest recruit, the damned Valor deserter, smiling with his arms behind his back. You know what's going on: he wants something from you. You decide to play along.Turns out, you completely misunderstood the game.
Relationships: Arlo/Male Reader, Arlo/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 49





	1. The Newest Recruit

**Author's Note:**

> For Amber.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He stands at your door because he wants something. You answer it because you think you can predict it.

Someone knocks on your door lightly three times, and you are curious enough to answer it.

You look down to see the newest recruit, the damned Valor deserter, smiling with his arms behind his back. You clench your jaw. You know what’s going on. Every now and then, a recruit tries to cozy up to you. You know all their tricks when they want to kiss your ass.

But you’ll be damned if you want to convince yourself you don’t want to see what this little traitor wants to try.

“Hey, boss,” the grunt says. His smile is sweet, alright, but there’s something in his eyes that doesn’t sit well with you.

“What do you want, kid?” you ask.

He grits his teeth and his shoulder tense. “I just wanted to treat you to some drinks. I’m new to your team and I wanted to get to know the organization a little better, so I thought, why not ask the most experienced guy here?”

You almost laugh but you disguise it as a huff. He softens again. You turn around and look at the pile of work you must do, then you look at the clock hanging on the wall.

“Sure,” you say, stepping out of your office and locking the door behind you, “why not?”

You can afford to have a little fun.

The recruit – Arlo, he says his name is – takes you to the nearest bar. “It’s one of the best,” he said, “I used to go here all the time whenever I visited this area.”

“You travel often?” you ask Arlo when the two of you take a seat at the counter.

“Sometimes,” Arlo replies. “I like to see what nature has to offer, but I also like to stay in and do research.”

“Research, huh?” You raise your hand to get the bartender’s attention. He saunters over to you and asks you want. “Vodka and coke,” you say, then you look at Arlo. “He’ll have the same.”

Arlo makes a face, a cute little pout with his cheeks all puffed out. You stare at him for a bit before you speak up again, “What kind of research do you do?”

“I look into the power of the Pokémon,” he replies. “I see what makes them powerful.”

Your drinks come and you take a sip. Arlo just cradles his. “Interesting,” you say. “Have you made any discoveries yet?”

“No,” Arlo says. He sounds bitter. “I only got the resources necessary to properly begin when I joined Team GO Rocket. I wasn’t allowed to do a lot of things when I was with Team Valor.”

You scoff. “Tell me about it,” you say, taking another swig from your drink. “Those little pushovers aren’t worth shit.”

Arlo lets out a laugh, a soft thing, and you turn to look at him again. This is by far the most interesting attempt to impress you.

“I know you might think I’m going to betray Team GO Rocket like I did Team Valor,” Arlo says, and the same little twinkle in his eyes sets something uneasy in the pit of your stomach, “but I want you to know that I won’t. I will never go back to Team Valor again.”

“Sore past?”

“Something like that,” he mutters. He finally takes a drink and he grimaces.

You laugh. “Haven’t had a drink before, kid?”

“Yes, I have,” Arlo says quickly. “It’s just been a while, that’s all.”

“Sure,” you say. “Is it because Team Valor is strict on alcohol consumption too?”

He shrugs. “I only really got along with one person there and she wasn’t much of a drinker.”

You hum. You finish your drink and motion for the bartender to top it up – and get Arlo a second cup.

“But—” Arlo tries to protest but you wave your hand.

“You said you wanted to drink with me,” you say, “so you have to match me drink for drink.”

“I said I wanted to treat you to some drinks.”

“Well, I say you want to drink with me.” You lean closer to him and while he doesn’t lean away, he takes in a sharp breath.

“Yes, sir,” he says, quietly.

You lean back and the two of you keep drinking. You get to know this little pipsqueak and you understand that he’s more than just your average Rocket grunt. A tad bit more ambitious, a whole lot smarter, and definitely worth investing your time into.

Besides, the silly little ideas he has doesn’t sound that outlandish if you put your mind to it. Maybe he’s just what Team GO Rocket needs.

Arlo finishes his seventh drink and you can’t stop staring at the blush on his face. He looks softer now, a little less on edge than before. You reach out and place a hand on his shoulder and he leans into your touch.

“You want to keep going, boss?”

You watch him. He looks fine, maybe a little loud but still aware of his surroundings. Still, you shake your head and squeeze his shoulder. “I think you’ve had enough, kid.”

“Nonsense,” Arlo says. He leans a little closer to you and you think maybe he wants to whisper something to you, but he just stays there.

“You okay, Arlo?”

He’s staring at you. Crimson eyes raking along your face and then down to your chest. You squeeze his shoulder again and his eyes dart back up to yours. “Are you even feeling the alcohol?” he asks.

“Clearly not as much as you,” you say with a laugh.

Arlo grumbles. He reaches into his back pocket, but you stop him. “I go this, kid, don’t worry about it.”

“But I said I would treat you, boss,” he argues.

You take out your card and pay for all your drinks. “You can treat me some other way,” you say. “You’re smart, Arlo. I like that. Maybe we can both benefit from this.”

“Can I?” Arlo asks. He leans into you, this time pressing his weight against you. You take your card back and turn to look at him. He’s staring up at you. His glasses catch the light of the bar and you can’t see into his eyes. But you don’t want to assume.

You stand up, lift Arlo off the chair – easy, he weighs nothing and it’s like holding a couple of grapes – and you take him out of the bar. All the while, he seems to find excuses to press himself against you, nuzzling his cheek against your side.

“Arlo,” you say.

“Yeah, boss?”

“I know you’re not that drunk. You don’t have to lean on me so heavily.”

“But you’re warm, boss.”

“You cold?”

Arlo says nothing. You stop walking. Arlo’s not wearing much beyond the basic Rocket grunt outfit. You sigh and take off your hoodie. He starts to panic.

“Wait, boss, you don’t have to—”

“Shut up, Arlo,” you say. You help him get into your hoodie, pulling it down and getting his arms through the sleeves. It’s a little too baggy on him and his hands disappear inside the sleeves, but you think it suits him very well.

He hugs himself and closes his eyes. You find that adorable. You reach out and fix his hair and his glasses, and he peers up at you curiously.

“Got messed up when you put my hoodie on,” you mutter.

“Thanks,” he says with a small smile.

You stare at him for a moment longer before you gesture to the side. “We should get going,” you say.

“Yeah,” he replies. The two of you start walking again, and you don’t mention how he presses up against you, your arms brushing with each step you take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> I like the idea that Arlo's hoodie doesn't really fit him because it's not his.
> 
> _You can leave suggestions as to what should happen next in the comments below._


	2. Lunch Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arlo shows up at your door again. You should turn him away, nip any plan that he has at the bud, and treat him like how you would treat any other recruit. But you don't do any of those things.

Arlo shows up at your door again a couple of days later. He is holding your hoodie in both arms, making him look smaller than he is. You peer down at him.

“Your hoodie, boss,” he says, handing you your hoodie.

“Thanks, Arlo.” You take your hoodie back and move to shut your door, but Arlo doesn’t move. You stop halfway and regard him again. “What’s up?” you ask him.

“Oh!” Arlo says, eyes wide and a little pink in his cheeks. “I was wondering if I could treat you to lunch, sir.”

“To lunch?” you echo. You glance at the time.

“Yes, lunch,” Arlo says. “I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For the extra support you gave me. I got a lot done these past few days.”

“I’m glad things are working out for you. You are going to do great things for Team GO Rocket, I know for sure.”

Arlo grins, a bright smile that seems a little too innocent. You put your hoodie back on and notice the slight blush on Arlo’s face again. “When can you give me your first report by?” you ask him when you pull your head through.

Arlo clears his throat. “Next week,” he says.

“Hm,” you hum. You grab the front of your hoodie and give it sniff. It smells like Arlo. You ignore it. “Can you make it by the end of this week?”

“There’s only two days left!” Arlo exclaims.

“Is there a problem?” you ask.

“It’s just that… Well, boss, I have to go out in the morning and afternoons, I don’t know if I have enough time to finish everything if I only work at night…”

You sigh. “Fine,” you say, “you can take the rest of this week off to work on your report, but if you can’t give it to me by the end of this week, you’re working double shifts for the rest of the month.”

Arlo stands up straighter. “Alright, sir. I won’t disappoint you, sir,” he says and does a little salute.

“What the hell are you doing?”

He lowers his hand. “Um,” he stutters.

You wave at him. “Whatever,” you say. “You still treating me for lunch?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Alright, then,” you say. You step out of your office and close the door behind you. “You can run me through what you’ve been during meanwhile.”

Arlo doesn’t speak up immediately. “Alright, sir,” he says eventually. He sounds disappointed but you ignore that.

As you walk down the hallways, you see other employees throw glances at your way. They’re whispering amongst themselves, but you pretend you don’t hear them.

“Isn’t that the newest recruit?”

“Why’s he hanging out with the boss?”

“You think he’s sleeping with the boss? I heard he’s gotten extra resources already. It took me six months to just get a goddamn desk!”

“I think that just means the boss doesn’t like you, Kin.”

“No way. He definitely likes me. He didn’t bump me down to a scout when I messed up his coffee order.”

“Wait, is that why Jo got demoted?”

“Well, not necessarily. Jo got demoted because she tried to hook up with the boss.”

“Then why’d you bring up the coffee thing?”

“Because she tried to get in his office by getting him the wrong coffee!”

You roll your eyes.

This time, you decide to choose the place. There’s a local curry store that you’ve always wanted to try out, but just never got the time between meetings with the other leaders, Giovanni, and your team.

Arlo follows you into the store. You sense that he is a little tense. You clap a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “What’s wrong, kid?” you ask.

“Nothing,” he says – or more so squeaks.

You frown, searching his expression. You stop when you can’t find anything, other than his near-constant blush, and turn to the hostess. “Table for two, please,” you say.

The hostess nods and grabs the menus. “Right this way, sirs,” she says and leads you further into the restaurant.

You slide into the booth and the hostess places the menus down in front of you. “Your waiter will be right with you,” she says with a smile, then she disappears.

You open the menu and take your time browsing through the items. You also glance at Arlo, who still looks like he is very uncomfortable in his own skin.

“Seriously, what’s wrong, Arlo?” you ask him, still staring down at the menu. You think maybe you’ll just go with the most popular dish in the restaurant.

Arlo says nothing. You glance at him again. He is staring at the menu, but you know he’s not reading it. Did he even hear you?

“Arlo,” you say.

He jolts and stares at you, then he reddens when he makes eye contact with you.

“Speak your mind, Arlo.”

“Well, sir,” he starts, then he trails off. He fingers the edge of the menu, pretending to be interested in the list of tonkatsu they offer. You wait for him.

“I think I’ll just have the curry udon,” he mutters underneath his breath.

“That’s not what I want you to tell me, Arlo,” you say.

He bites his lip and takes his time. A waiter comes up to you, two glasses of water in hand. “Are you ready to order, sir?” he asks you as he places the glasses on the table.

You nod and rattle off what you and Arlo want. You even pick out a drink, then look at Arlo. “Do you want anything to drink?” you ask. Arlo shakes his head. You turn back to the waiter. “He’ll have the same as me,” you say.

The waiter nods, scribbling on his notebook. “Your food will be right with you, sir,” he says. He pockets everything, takes the menus, and leaves.

“What did you want to say, Arlo?” you ask him once the waiter is out of earshot.

Arlo purses his lips and looks at the wall. You knock your knuckles on the table and he looks back down. “Did you really demote someone because she wanted to sleep with you?” he asks, so quiet that you almost can’t hear him.

You sigh through your nose. “I can’t discuss what happened to other employees with you,” you say.

He looks up at you, eyes wide and filled with something you can’t name. Still, it stirs something in you and your stomach feels funny.

“Jo was demoted because I found her stealing from Team GO Rocket,” you say. “Keeping her as a scout means she doesn’t get to spend any time at the base, and no one will question her about missing supplies if it gets to that point.”

Arlo sits up slightly. “You cared about her?” he asks.

“I care about all my subordinates,” you say, “even the ones that want to get me to do something for them in return of their nice deeds. It’s fun to deal with those.”

He presses his lips into a thin and doesn’t meet your gaze anymore. You grin to yourself.

The waiter returns with your food. He places your plates in front of you. “Enjoy your meal, sirs,” he says and leaves.

“You don’t need to be worried, Arlo,” you continue to say. “Unless, of course, you’re stealing.” You peer at him and he shakes his head minutely. “Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

As you eat, you notice Arlo constantly glancing at you. You keep quiet about it until you finish your food. “Is there something else you want to talk about, Arlo?” you ask him.

Arlo starts, jerking in his seat. He fidgets, shifting this way and that until he says, “Yes, sir.”

You pick up your glass of water, expecting him to elaborate. When he doesn’t, you prompt him. “Well?”

Arlo bites his lower lip. “I was wondering if you know anywhere that’s up for sale or rent?”

You stop mid-drink. “Are you having housing trouble?”

“No,” Arlo says, then he says, “Yes.”

“Yes or no?”

“I just haven’t found a place to stay at yet. I’m living in a hotel right now and it’s getting a little too expensive—”

“Where did you live before you joined Team GO Rocket?”

“In a house Team Valor provided for me,” he says. “It was from a settlement for something that happened a while ago, so when I left the team, I had to give it back.”

You nod, grim. “So you’ve been living in a hotel since then?”

“Just about coming to a month and a half now,” he says. “The screening process took a long time.”

You hum. “It’s to make sure we aren’t letting just anyone in,” you say, “especially when it comes to deserters.”

Arlo lets out a laugh. You shake your head.

“Well, I’ll help you look. I know you’re busy with the reports and research right now.”

The way Arlo beams at you makes you roll your eyes and sigh, but it also fills your stomach with a warmth you have not felt in a while.

“Alright, Arlo,” you say. “Time to get back to work.”

“O-Oh!” Arlo stutters. You sign for the waiter to get the bill and he places it in front of you. You see Arlo struggle to get his wallet out, so you pay for it again.

“Boss—!” Arlo starts.

You laugh. “You can pay me back some other time, Arlo,” you say.

“This is the second time you paid for something I said I would treat you to, boss,” Arlo says.

“Is that a problem, Arlo?”

He licks his lips. “No, sir,” he says.

“That’s good,” you say. “That’s good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _You can leave suggestions as to what should happen next in the comments below._


	3. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He helps you, and you help him. You tell yourself that this is just a normal interaction between a boss and his subordinate and that there's nothing else going on.

This time, you are the one to approach Arlo. You stand next to his cubicle, barely concealing a snort of laughter when he jolts at your, “Hey.”

“I read your report,” you continue. “It’s pretty good, but I have some questions.”

“What is it, sir?” he asks. He scrambles to gather all the scattered paper around his desk.

“You’re asking for a lot of things here,” you say, “and the risks are quite big. How can you guarantee that your tests are going to produce something useful?”

“Well, I can’t really guarantee it—”

“Then why should I risk everything for you? Giovanni is going to ask questions if I sink money and resource into a project that’s going to produce nothing.”

Arlo huffs, his cheeks turning red. “It’s not _going_ to be useless,” he says defensively. “It’ll get me everything that I want because I _never_ miscalculate. I only play to win.”

You raise your eyebrows. “And exactly what will it get you?”

He clears his throat. “It… It will get _us_ Pokémon that are stronger than the ones we currently have, and we don’t even need to train them.”

“That’s a big promise,” you say. “You need to have tangible results preferably by the first experiment for Giovanni to permit me to put any more resources into this.”

“It’ll be worth it, I promise you, boss,” Arlo says through gritted teeth.

You sigh. You step into his cubicle and lean down, putting your hands on the edge of Arlo’s table to lean your weight on, boxing him. “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” you say in a lowered voice. “I see great potential in this, Arlo. I think this is worth all the risk, but I can get in a lot of trouble for misplacing my trust.”

Arlo swallows. You watch as his eyes keep flickering from your eyes to your mouth, then he leans back against his chair to get a little more space between the two of you. There’s not much space for him to move to, with the table behind him and your arms at either side.

“I get it, boss,” he whispers. “I won’t let you down.”

You smile. “That’s a good boy,” you grumble. He takes a sharp breath and his blush spreads prettily down his neck. You stay where you are for a moment, basking in Arlo’s embarrassment for just a moment longer before you stand up straight. “Keep up the good work, Arlo,” you say, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a quick squeeze.

You let go of his shoulder and nod once, then you leave to head back to your own office.

A grunt pokes his head over his wall and looks at Arlo. “The fuck was that, Arlo?” he asks.

“None of your fucking business,” Arlo snaps back.

The grunt clicks his tongue. “Don’t talk back to me like that, deserter,” he says. “We all know what you’re doing.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“I want you to know that the boss hates disloyalty. He’s only paying extra attention to you because you were Team Valor.”

“I left Team Valor.”

“That means you’re going to leave Team GO Rocket one day.”

Arlo clenches his teeth.

“The boss isn’t that stupid, Arlo,” the grunt says. “Once a deserter, always a deserter.”

Arlo kicks their shared wall and the grunt sits back down.

“Don’t forget what I said, Arlo,” the grunt shouts through the wall. “He doesn’t give a fuck about you, he only cares if you want to get up and leave again.”

You open your door to find Arlo standing there, arm raised in a mid-knock. You raise your eyebrow at him. “Done so soon?” you ask him.

“There’s not much to follow up on,” he says, lowering his arm. “I’ve gotten more than enough volunteers.”

“That’s good.” You turn off your office light and close the door behind you. “Come on, then,” you say.

You walk to the car park and he follows you closely. You see him eyeing the other grunts and you see how the other grunts are looking at him, whispering.

When you get to your car, you open the backdoor and throw your bag in. You gesture for him to get in the passenger seat. “You don’t need to worry about the others, Arlo,” you say as you get in the driver’s seat.

Arlo scoffs, then he clears his throat. “Why’d you say that, boss?” he asks.

“I’m not stupid,” you say. “I know what goes on in my team.”

You start the car and drive out of the car park. Arlo is quiet. You sigh. “Everyone gossips in the office, it doesn’t mean those things are actually true,” you say.

Arlo rests his elbow on the door and his head on his hand. You glance at him as you merge into the main road. The city’s lights flicker across his face, his glasses lighting up with each streetlight you pass under. You heave a breath.

“Just ignore them, Arlo,” you say. “Don’t take it to heart.”

You hear him shrug. He makes a small noise, a sound that makes your chest clench. You focus on driving. Neither of you turn on the radio or any music, content with just listening to each other breathe.

Before you turn into the street, you feel Arlo look at you. You glance at him and he seems embarrassed that he’s been caught staring. You flash him a quick grin and turn onto the apartment’s car park. The security guard comes out of his station and greets you.

You roll your window down. “I’m here to look at apartment 3C,” you say.

The guard looks down at his clipboard and nods. “Yeah, someone’s expecting you. You can park on the third floor, any space you want.”

“Thanks,” you say, and you roll your window back up.

You park your car and the agent greets you in the lobby. You gesture to Arlo and tell her that he’s the one who’s going to be the potential buyer. She greets him and she takes you both up to the apartment.

“It’s a bit small,” she explains, “but it’s good for two people.”

“Oh, no,” you say. “He’s living alone.”

“Oh,” she says. She regards you for a moment, but then shrugs, deciding that it’s not any of her business. “The kitchen is right over here.”

You follow the tour, watching Arlo as he looks around.

“There’s a terrace,” she says, gesturing to the glass slide doors. “You can hang your clothes out there or put a little house for your Pokémon friend. This is a Pokémon-friendly building, but you are not allowed to have any taller than a meter and a half.”

As she continues to explain to him the area, as well as the pricing, you wander around and check the other rooms for mold.

When you come out of the only bedroom in the apartment, you find Arlo right in front of you.

“All done?” you ask him. He nods.

“You can give me a call or drop me a text when you make a decision,” the agent says, handing you the card. You take it and look at her information, then you nudge it into Arlo’s hand. His fingers brush against yours as he takes it. “The owner is interested in getting this off his hands as soon as possible, he’s moving out of the city soon.”

Arlo sticks close to you as you wait for the elevator back down to the car park.

“You know, this is still a good place for two people to stay at,” the agent says.

You glance at her and pretend that Arlo is not basically hanging off your arm. “I already have a place to stay,” you say. “He’s the one looking.”

The agent raises her eyebrows. “Well, regardless,” she says. “If your place is good for two people, then I don’t see why he should look for another place.”

You furrow your eyebrows but refrain from commenting further. You enter the lift and press the button for the car park.

“The security here is great if you ever encounter any harassment,” the agent pipes up.

You take in a deep breath. “That’s great to hear,” you say. “Pretty sure his Scyther wouldn’t be taking any shit from anyone, either.”

She smiles and waves you goodbye when you reach the car park. You walk back to your car and Arlo still clings to you.

“You can stop pretending to be shy,” you tell him.

“’m not pretending,” he mutters.

“Are you cold again?”

“Maybe.”

You take off your hoodie and hand it to him. He puts it on. You reach out to fix his hair and glasses again. “You don’t have to take this one if you’re not interested,” you tell him. “There are plenty more around the city to look at.”

“I don’t think I have enough time to check them all out,” he says as he gets in your car. You get in after him.

“What do you mean?”

“The hotel is too expensive,” he says, staring down at his lap. You buckle yourself in and start the car. “I have until next week.”

You click your tongue. “That’s not enough time even if you decided to sign the contract right now.”

“I know,” he murmurs. He stares down at his hands, engulfed by your hoodie’s sleeves, and toys with his fingers. “I don’t know what to do.”

You huff. You drive him back to his hotel, all the while glancing at him. He looks small and timid in your hoodie, and you wonder how much of that is real.

You pull your car by the road. “Don’t worry about it,” you tell him. “I’ll help you come up with something, okay? You focus on the project. Both of our necks are on the line for this thing.”

He nods. You put a hand on his knee, and he looks up at in surprise.

“I said don’t worry about it,” you say. You rub your thumb against his leg and he swallows.

“Thanks, boss,” Arlo says.

You grin. “No problem,” you reply. You do not let go of his knee.

Arlo licks his lips, then he moves to take off your hoodie. You squeeze his leg. “Don’t,” you mutter. He stops and looks at you. “It looks good on you,” you say. “Keep it for the weekend.”

Your grin widens when he tries to suppress a smile. He places his hand on yours, muttering, “Thanks,” and then he lets go. You pull away, too, and watch as he hurries out of your car.

You watch as he enters the hotel and you do not drive away until he disappears into the lobby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _You can leave suggestions as to what should happen next in the comments below._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reality splashes you with cold water with the help of your fellow leader, so you try to heed her warning.

The end of the week comes a little sooner than you like. Arlo has already handed in two more prediction-based reports to you, and it is enough to satisfy Giovanni. You fill in the necessary paperwork to allocate a small team of scientists to work with Arlo, as well as marking down the rooms that he will need.

You hear commotion outside your office and then your door opens. You do not need to look up to know that it is Sierra at your door.

“What’s with you and the new kid?” she asks – or more so demands.

“Nothing’s up,” you reply.

“Don’t lie to me,” she says. She shuts the door and seats herself at the edge of your desk. She swipes a few of your things into a pile and you sigh, putting down your pen.

“I’m not lying to you,” you say.

“Come on, man,” Sierra says. “I heard what the grunts have been saying.”

“And what have they been saying?”

“They say you guys are fucking.”

“Well, I can tell you with confidence that we are _not_ fucking.”

“Oh, so you’re doing things prior to fucking?”

“Prior to fucking?” you echo. “What the hell does that even mean?”

“You know, like dating,” Sierra replies.

“What—That’s not—” You cut yourself off before you can dig your own grave. You lower your head into your hands and breathe in deeply. “We’re not dating,” you say as calmly as you can. “I’m just helping him out. He’s been a good addition to the team, hasn’t caused any issues, and he brought up some personal troubles in confidence, so I wanted to help him.”

Sierra taps at her chin. “Giovanni told me that you’re allowing him to do some risky project,” she says.

“Yes, I did.”

“And that you’re going to take the responsibility for it if the thing goes south.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re also helping him with some, quote, personal troubles, unquote?”

“I don’t see what’s the problem.”

Sierra looks at you. Then she sighs. “He’s manipulating you,” she says, slowly.

You sit up and furrow your eyebrows at her. “And how exactly is he doing that?”

“The same way he got you to hand over your hoodie to him twice.”

You scoff. “I did that on my own, that’s hardly—” You stop yourself again, mouth hanging open mid-sentence.

“Yeah,” Sierra says.

You lower your head.

“Yup,” she says. “You _think_ you did it on your own, but it’s really all him.”

“Damn,” you mutter. “I thought I saw through his ruse the first day.”

“Well, he _is_ kind of cute. Got a hell of a personality on him, though.”

“A bitch, one might say,” you say. “Though, he acts alright around me.”

“Part of the ruse,” Sierra says. She pauses for a second and then says, “Look, I read over the reports he wrote. I think this project has some potential too. I’m honestly way too busy to be taking time off to train my Pokémon, so if this thing works, we can potentially cut down our probation period by half.”

“That’s what I’m saying—”

“But,” Sierra interrupts you, “it also means that everything sounds way too good to be true. The numbers he gave you, are they predicted by him or did you get a specialist to do it?”

“I got him to do it, but I asked a specialist to run through the numbers,” you say. “Nothing came up as exaggerated. The kid’s smart.”

Sierra thinks for a moment, staring down at you. Then, she nods. “Alright,” she says. “If you think this kid’s got potential, then I trust you.”

You thank her but you get cut off when she cups your chin, forcing you to look up at her. “But I’m warning you, don’t get too comfortable with him,” she says. “You’re smarter than this.”

“Of course, I won’t,” you mutter. “I know what I’m doing.”

Sierra scoffs, letting go of you. “You better,” she says. “I don’t want to get to know another leader. Getting to know Cliff was hard enough as it is.”

“How is Cliff, by the way? I haven’t met him yet.”

“A big teddy bear,” she replies. She stands up from your desk and doesn’t help rearrange your things that she messed up. “Good luck with that grunt of yours.”

“Not mine.”

“Whatever you say.” Sierra winks at you and leaves.

You stare down at your work and sigh.

You load the rest of Arlo’s things into the back of your car and you shut the trunk. You think about, for a moment, how sad it is that all of Arlo’s things can fit in three boxes. You shake your head and get in your car.

“Hey,” Arlo says when you buckle in. “Thanks again, boss.”

“No problem, Arlo,” you say. He’s wearing your hoodie again, and Sierra’s words float back into your mind. You focus on driving.

The drive to your apartment doesn’t take long. You park your car and carry Arlo’s things to your apartment. He helps you open the door, fumbles with the lights, and stands awkwardly in the living room as you set up a space for him to sleep on the couch.

“I’m afraid this is all I have,” you tell him.

“That’s okay,” he says. “It’s better than being at the hotel.”

You laugh. “I doubt that.”

He grins.

You head to the kitchen, letting him get used to the place. “Did you have dinner, yet?” you ask him.

“Oh, no,” he says.

“We can order takeout if you want,” you say. “I got drinks.”

Arlo pokes his head into the kitchen. You shut the door of your fridge and hold up two soda cans. “Takeout?” he asks.

“Yeah, takeout,” you reply. “Got anything in mind?”

He glances at your fridge and shrugs. “Not really,” he says. “I haven’t had takeout in a while.”

“Do you like cooking?” you ask him. You put the sodas down and leaf through your takeout leaflets, holding out one for a pizza chain.

“Yeah,” Arlo says. He stands next to you, taking the leaflet out of your hands. He makes a face.

“You don’t like pizza?”

“Just haven’t had it in a while.”

“Why not have it now, then, right?” You take the leaflet back from him and pretend that you don’t know their phone number by heart. You place an order for your usual and the pizza Arlo pointed to.

“Do you always have takeout?” Arlo asks once you’re done.

“Well, sometimes I eat instant food,” you say. You turn off the kitchen lights and head back to the living room. Arlo follows you.

“Instant food?”

“Yeah, the kind that you just pour hot water into, or those that you just microwave.”

“You don’t cook?”

“I don’t have the time.”

You sit down on the couch and kick your feet up, turning on the television. Arlo sits down next to you, a little further away than you think he would, and glances at you every so often.

“You really don’t cook?” he asks after a few moments.

“I do, sometimes,” you say, “but it’s been a while, that’s for sure.”

He sighs.

“What? Why are you judging me?”

“I’m not judging you,” he says. He pulls his feet up to his chest and wraps his arms around them. You glance at him.

You want to say something, but the doorbell rings and you hop to your feet. You grab your wallet and answer the door. Glenn grins when he sees you. You bend down slightly to scratch his Glameow on the head.

“You got company this time, huh?” he asks.

“Just a buddy of mine,” you reply as you stand back up. You pay for the pizzas and tip him, as usual. Then he hands you the food.

“Glad that you’re finally eating with someone, though,” Glenn says.

“Oh, don’t pity me, Glenn,” you say.

“I’m not, I’m not,” he laughs. “Enjoy your food, man.”

You say goodbye to him and shut the door.

Arlo helps you set the pizzas down and you grab the two cans of soda from the kitchen. He is already eating by the time you walk out of the kitchen, nibbling on a slice of pizza. You set a can in front of him and put yours down.

You grab a slice of your pizza and take a big bite.

Arlo rolls his eyes.

“What?” you ask with your mouth full.

“You’re disgusting,” Arlo says, but he’s smiling.

You grin. You want to reach out and tease him, but something holds you back. You sit at your end of the sofa and just watch him.

You think, maybe, this is enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _You can leave suggestions as to what should happen next in the comments below._


End file.
